Alliance Theatre Lab Tackles Sam Shepard's Volatile Fool For Love

Sam Shepard's mythic play Fool For Love, which opens tonight at the Alliance Theatre Lab, is set in a seedy motel on the edge of the Mojave Desert and tells the story of Eddie and May, two young lovers who also happen to be half-siblings. Eddie is a rough-spoken rodeo performer; May is a disheveled young girl who's looking for stability. Together, they struggle over Eddie's frequent disappearing acts, his numerous love affairs, and their on-again off-again dysfunctional, but all too ardent, relationship.

"The play is about human relationships," Alliance Lab artistic director Adalberto Acevedo tells us. "And that means there will be lighter moments, and sexy moments, and even scary moments that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats."

Written in 1983 by actor/playwright Sam Shepard, the character-driven Fool For Love originally starred actors Ed Harris and Kathy Baker, and earned Shepard and OBIE award. The play would later attract such actors as Bruce Willis and Aiden Quinn, while Shepard himself portrayed Eddie in the 1985 film version alongside Kim Basinger.

For their production, Alliance Lab has cast Arturo Fernandez and Jehane Serrales to play Eddie and May."Audiences will recognize Arturo from TV's Burn Notice, and Jehane Serralles has graced our stage many times" Acevedo says. "These are actors who are not afraid to go where the play requires them to go. It takes a strong, courageous actor to do the play justice."

The nature of Eddie and May's oftentimes-volatile relationship is at the core of Fool For Love. At times, the two lovers' squabbles become physically violent. All the while, the ghost of their dead father watches over them, swigging a bottle of whiskey while commenting on what he sees unfold.

It's a haunting tale of crazy love, desperation, and the powerlessness of inflamed passion. "Everyone has been in love at some point in their lives," Acevedo says. "Eddie and May are two people who love each other deeply. Perhaps too deeply. And there is their problem. Anyone who has ever loved someone will identify with this play."

Sam Shepard's Fool For Love opens this Thursday at Alliance Theatre Lab (6766 Main St., Miami Lakes) and runs through June 26. Tickets are $25 ($15 for students and seniors). Call 305-259-0418 or visit thealliancetheatrelab.com.